We're all really sold on ebay

READING shoppers have gone eBay crazy with more than a third of the town's population registered to buy and sell on the internet auction site.

A whopping 60,000 people, two out of every five, in the town have used the site at one time or another - the third highest proportion of shoppers per population in Britain.

Only Norwich and Cambridge had a higher proportion logged on.

While city centre manager Tim Smith - who summed the site up as an "electronic car boot sale" - said it would not have an effect on Reading's high street, independent trader Jo Whyte from

Rock-A-Round said he believed it showed chain stores were not meeting shoppers' needs.

Councillor Chris Swaine, Reading Borough Council's liaison for E-Government and a computer expert, said today: "People lead busy lives and because of the brilliant technology available to

people at their fingertips its often easier for them to buy goods online than it is to

physically go to the shops.

THOUSANDS of Reading shoppers are turning from retail to e-tail with almost half the town now logging on to internet auction site eBay.

Reading has the third highest proportion of shoppers in the UK registered with eBay, following in the footsteps of its most famous shopper Cherie Blair.

Two out of every five people in the borough are registered as buyers or sellers, the site said yesterday - but there were warnings it was because shoppers wanted more variety than offered by the town's chain stores.

Only Norwich and Cambridge had more shoppers.

Jo Whyte, owner of Rock-A-Round clothing in Bristol and West Arcade, was not surprised growing numbers were turning to the internet to meet their individual tastes.

She said: "Reading is fast turning into a clone town with the major high street chains dominating the area.

"Independent businesses that cater for the eclectic needs of people in Reading are nearly non-existent these days and many people aren't content with buying goods from high street stores.

"The people who buy things from me often complain that they can't find anything interesting or funky in other shops, so come to me or turn to eBay."

Town centre manager Tim Smith dismissed claims Reading was becoming a clone town and rejects the survey result as a "passing fad".

He said: "eBay is like an electronic car boot sale where people sell their old tat and junk.

"I have no idea why such a high percentage of people use the site but I'm not in the slightest bit worried about the internet taking away business from our town centre shops."

Daniel Booth, from Web User magazine, attributed the large number of eBay users to the town's IT workforce.

He said: "It makes perfect sense that Reading is high up the list as it is a fast growing town within the Silicon Valley of the M4 corridor.

"It is probable that the people of Reading are internet savvy and are aware of the buying and selling potential of the site.

"The town has a background of being at the forefront of technology and a young population will be less intimidated by the internet."

Reading councillor Jude Fry has caught the bug, both buying and selling on the site.

She said: "We tend to buy designer baby clothes because they are much cheaper than from the major stores.

"It's a lot of fun and not only can you pick up loads of bargains it's possible to make some extra cash by selling things you don't need any more. We've sold old phones and computers."

"Reading is a great place to shop but it's not as varied as London, so sometimes the internet is the only place to buy the stuff you want."